Mercedes 'just' in contention again in Austria: 'Do they counter a lá Red Bull?

Mercedes have failed to win three races in a row, which is a unique situation for the German team that has dominated Formula 1 since the hybrid era. However, the resilience of Mercedes may still be underestimated according to Ralf Schumacher.

After two dramatic races on the street circuits of Monaco and Azerbaijan, Mercedes obviously hoped to put things right in France. Mercedes was the big favourite at the 'normal' Paul Ricard circuit, but again they lost points to Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen.

Mercedes in trouble?

''Mercedes have not won three races now. The new design or the aerodynamic situation has not really helped the team this year. That is, the much-quoted lean angle, which is much higher at Red Bull, plays a big role. However, Mercedes also has a fundamental problem with finding the tyre's grip window. Even in Le Castellet, where the tarmac temperature was 50 degrees Celsius, Hamilton would have needed a warm-up lap in qualifying. This shows that you are not using the tyre optimally and therefore you have problems,'' Schumacher said in his column for Sky Germany.

''For the coming weeks and months, we don't have to worry about a world championship battle becoming one-sided. Mercedes is still a top team. They have already won a number of races this year. Spielberg will suit them very well. But it will be exciting because the circuit also belongs to Red Bull. The question for Spielberg will be: Can Mercedes counter with an efficient aerodynamics package - a lá Red Bull? ''They had a big advantage in Le Castellet because of the smaller wings,'' the former F1 driver concludes.